My Last Breath
by Kilala81
Summary: I'm about to die,' she suddenly thought to herself. The thought was strangely comforting to her. People so feared dying but now she was teetering on the brink, about to charge straight into death's waiting arms and she had a sudden urge to smile...WE


**A/N: This fic was written to the song "My Last Breath" by Evanescence. Because I don't want my account deleted, I removed the lyrics from the fic, but you can find them here: http/ www . windupinvasion . com/exodus / mylastbreath. html, if you'd like to read them. Thanks for reading! The page breaks are where I had lyrics inserted and the point of view changes. Character death ahead...**

**_My Last Breath_****  
**

"Elizabeth!" The name escaped Will's mouth and filled the air before he even realized that it was him that had uttered it. For what felt like an eternity he stood still, everyone and everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion as he watched his only love fall to the ground in pain. It was Jack, and not himself, that got to her first.

"Hold on, love," he said as he stepped past her and went after the man that had just ran a blade through her. He had no idea how badly she was injured but he knew it couldn't be good.

* * *

Finally, Will found his feet again and rushed to her side and dropped to his knees beside her. 

"Elizabeth," he said softly as he did his best to assess her wound. They shouldn't even be here, let alone fighting along side Jack Sparrow again, but he had come to them and needed their help, so here they were.

"It's nothing," she replied with a slight smile. "Just a scratch." Despite the words, she was doing a terrible job of masking the pain she was in.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he said and slid his arm under her legs and attempted to get the other underneath her torso. When she winced in pain he stopped and looked down at her, his brown eyes full of fear and despair.

"Just hold me," she pleaded softly. He nodded and pulled her carefully into his arms, the coppery scent of her blood suddenly engulfing his senses and making him nauseous.

* * *

"You're crying," she said. Will shook his head, trying to deny it but couldn't choke out an audible reply. "You're—a terrible—liar." 

The words drew a slight laugh from him, though it was more a laugh to protect his sanity than one that said he found her words humorous.

"You shouldn't speak," he finally replied. "Save your strength."

"Will," she spoke the name softly. He pulled back so that he could look at her and she did her best to offer him a smile. "I love you."

"No," he said firmly. "Don't say your good byes. You're not going to die."

"Please," she sobbed. "I need to hear you say it." Suddenly her voice had lost it's calmness which scared him even more. His hands were now warm and sticky from her blood and he could tell that she had lost far too much to be saved, no matter how much he wanted to deny the truth.

"I love you, Elizabeth," he said as he began to tremble. "Don't leave me."

* * *

The words touched Elizabeth's ears and she let a soft smile slide across her face. She could feel her heart slowing and found herself focusing on her surroundings. Her arms and legs were beginning to feel numb and the world around her was starting to seem surreal. She could hear muffled shouting and the soft lull of Will's voice as he continued to speak but absolutely nothing was coherent in her mind. 

_'I'm about to die,'_ she suddenly thought to herself. The thought was strangely comforting to her. People so feared dying but now she was teetering on the brink, about to charge straight into death's waiting arms and she had a sudden urge to smile, to reminisce, and to accept the inevitable with open arms.

"I love you, Will." She wasn't sure if she had actually said the words aloud or if they had merely been in her tired mind, but they were the last conscious thought before she surrendered to the dark oblivion .

* * *

Jack slowly approached the two of them once he had taken care of the men that they had been fighting with. Elizabeth, in all of her stubbornness, had refused to remain hidden despite the danger. Now he was staring at her lifeless body as Will held her. 

"Sorry, mate," he said simply. Death was a fact of life, a fact that Jack had accepted a long time ago. But it never lessened the initial sting he felt when he saw someone that he, at the very least, respected; die. Will looked up at him blankly and then pulled her closer to him. Jack averted his eyes from the two of them. It had been he that had gone for to Port Royal and asked for their help. If not for him, she wouldn't be dead and Will wouldn't appear to be in complete agony.

"She's gone," he finally said. "Can't change that by getting yerself killed too, mate. She wouldn't want that." Jack motioned to Elizabeth and then looked around. It wouldn't be long before there were more men looking for them and they wouldn't stop and give Will time to mourn, they would simply let him join her in the afterlife. The blacksmith looked up at Jack and then back to the woman in his arms. Jack would leave again, when it suited him, and Elizabeth was gone forever.

"Go," he said coldly. "I'm not leaving her."

* * *

Jack finally left Will with Elizabeth. As much as he didn't want to leave him to die, he realized that there would be no parting the two of them. He turned when he heard shouting and noted that the blacksmith put up no effort to defend himself. Pirate, though he was, Jack couldn't stand and watch the boy die. He turned and left him to his love, knowing that soon they would be reunited. 

Will lay beside Elizabeth's body taking labored breaths. The men had caught sight of Jack and hurried away, leaving Will to spend his last moments staring at the face of the only woman he had ever loved. There was still a soft smile on her face, which made him wonder what her last thoughts had been. Such a beautiful smile promised him that there was nothing to fear. Whatever she was staring at when she had left this world, must have been something wonderful. He found a smile gracing his own lips in response. He didn't fear death, he was embracing it. Finally, he inhaled a deep breath and then closed his eyes. The darkness engulfed him and he pictured her face one last time then he released his breath and joined her in her beautiful oblivion.


End file.
